by Theresa Mchatton

Created on: January 17, 2008

Two major monotheistic religions are Christianity and Islam. They believe in only one God. Many religions are based upon many of the same beliefs. This is so with these two religions. They both believe in many of the same concepts but remember and worship them with different variations.

Both religions believe inn the God of Abraham. Christians call God, Yaweh. Muslims call God, Allah. Abraham lived in the Middle East. He made a covenant with God that he and his descendants would be the chosen people in return for their faith. Christians believe the descendents were the Jews. Muslims believe that they are also descendants. They believe the Jews are the sons and daughters of Abraham's first wife and they are the descendants of Abraham's second wife.

The Christian's holy book is the bible. It has two parts, the New Testament and the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the laws and stories of prophets. The New Testament is the stories of Jesus's life. The Koran is the holy book of Islam. The Koran has the teachings of God made to Muhammad. The goal of Islam is to live life according to God's guidance. Christian goal is to achieve salvation. Both religions believe in an after life with God in paradise or suffering in hell. To achieve this, the worshippers must follow many rituals and rules.

To achieve salvation Christians must follow Jesus' teachings and participate in the sacraments. For Muslims to achieve salvation they must participate in the "five pillars". They also may not eat pork or drink alcohol. Part of both religions is praying and going to services. Muslims pray in mosques on Friday. Christians worship in churches on Sunday.

These religions are based on many of the same concepts. They worship one God, the God of Abraham. They both believe in an after life with God or with suffering. They may believe in many of the same things but the way they worship is very different. They pray in different buildings, with different prayer leaders, and in different ways. Christianity and Islam are two major religions based on many common beliefs, but many beliefs and ways they are worshipped are very different.

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